The Personal Blog Of
Boston Motorcycle Lawyer

Update on the Bridgton Motorcycle Accident
August 4, 2010

We recently blogged about the Bridgton motorcycle accident in which a man was killed and a woman injured due to his “trick riding.”

In a few words, on Monday, Aug 2, a group of four motorcyclists after paying a visit to the Trailside Steak and Seafood Restaurant were travelling on Route 302 in Maine. One of the bikers, a Quincy man stood up on his 2004 Harley-Davidson Night Train motorcycle and started waving with one hand, while holding the bike’s handlebar with the other hand, going at 55 mph.

He then lost control and fell, sustaining fatal injuries. The victim, Justin Dilks, 34, landed in the middle of the road.

Hi friend and fellow biker, Marjorie Loonie, 45, of Melrose trying to avoid crashing into him, swerved and lost control of her own 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and also crashed. Loonie suffered serious injury and was airlifted to Central Maine Medical Center where she is listed in a stable condition.

Neither Dilks, nor Loonie, nor any of the other bikers in the group were wearing helmets, which could have perhaps save them from head injury and trauma. Dilks was pronounced dead at the scene from severe head injuries, police said.

According to the police, the trick riding led to the fatal crash. Trick riding is dangerous and usually rare. We are sorry that a fellow motorcyclist got killed while engaging in this behavior, and that his friend got injured. It serves as a valuable and obvious lesson to other riders not to rush to do something which may put them and other people in the path of injury and death.

Many factors lead to the death of Justin Dilks and the injury of Marjorie Loonie, but we can narrow them down to the most obvious three:

1. None were wearing helmets.

Motorcycle helmets are essential safety gear which should we worn at all times. It saves bikers from severe head trauma and brain injury, and some models even prevent facial injuries. Even though helmet use is not required in every state, bikers’ common sense should tell me to put one on before hitting the road.

2. Dilks was riding while standing on his bike.

Even if he was doing it in on a parked motorcycle, instead of going at 55 mph, it just seems as a very irresponsible behavior – an accident waiting to happen. And it did. The sad part is that it ended terribly, both for Dilks and Loonie.

3. The stretch of US Route 302 where the crash occurred is known as a busy and a frequent crash site, so the motorcyclists should have been extra careful when travelling on it.

If you are riding on notorious, or unfamiliar roads, always stay alert and focused, epsecially at night.

Justin Dilks is remembered by friends as a kind man who lived life to the fullest, and his loss is felt by many. He was on vacation at the Keoka Beach Campground in Waterford, just north of Bridgton, police said.

News Sources: Patriot Ledger, KJ Online.